As part of the exhibition ‘Man and Mining’, the ‘Museum der Arbeit’ had invited Oridek Ap to give a presentation entitled ‘Blood and Gold from West Papua – The Trade with Resources in an Occupied Territory’ on March 18, 2024. Oridek Ap is an Executive Member of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and coordinator of the Free West Papua Campaign in the Netherlands.
University of Hamburg & West Papua
During the morning hours, Oridek and three companions visited the Asia-Africa-Institute (AAI) of the University of Hamburg to see the exhibition ‘Contemporary Art, Culture and Resistance in West Papua/Indonesia’. Oridek Ap is the son of the famous West Papuan musician and anthropologist Arnold Ap, who was killed by Indonesian special forces in 1984. Oridek was very moved by the exhibition, especially by the poster which showed his father’s work and also mentioned his tragic death.
Mining and Deforestation in West Papua
At the ‘Museum der Arbeit’ Oridek reported on the Grasberg mine in West Papua, which contains one of the largest gold and copper deposits in the world and contributes significantly to the Indonesian state income. The mining project is operated by Freeport Indonesia, a joint venture between the Indonesian government and the US company Freeport-McMoRan. The mine is controversial because of its large-scale environmental destruction. Land grabbing and the establishment of oil palm plantations pose a further threat to the environment and the inhabitants of West Papua. Both, palm oil and minerals are exported to Germany and are utilised in products that we use every day.
Guest commentary by: Marion Struck-Garbe, Lecturer – Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia, University of Hamburg